2024 has been loaded with horror releases, with scary stories about everything from rampaging spiders to satanic late-night talk shows. This crop is distinctive for its unconventional reworkings of well-worn tropes. There’s a slasher that owes as much to Terrence Malick as to Jason Voorhees; a dystopian-future tale that eschews global destruction to examine the implosion of one family; and two movies about nuns with evil pregnancies. Better yet: Several of these efforts have made waves at the indie box office, illustrating the horror audience’s affinity for going to strange new places.
There is at least one more major work left to come — Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” — but here are the year’s best horror releases so far.
Before revealing the top spots, here are some honorable mentions:
“Frankie Freako” (Shout! Studios) — It’s not directly horror, but this love letter to ‘80s and ‘90s puppet features like “Gremlins 2: The New Batch” and “Critters” from “Psycho Goreman” director Steven Kostanski is pitch-perfect for genre fans.
“Alien: Romulus” (20th Century Studios) — It didn’t reinvent the wheel, but there was plenty to enjoy in this nasty, brutish chapter of the “Alien” saga. With incredible sound, production design and wildly stressful scenes, “Alien: Romulus” is great as the space slasher many fans have waited for, with much of the credit going to ambitious director and co-writer Fede Álvarez.
From Variety US